Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Stress Less


I was reading one of my favorite beauty blogs yesterday, when I read that, “For the 17th consecutive year April is National Stress Awareness Month.” Apparently, the makers of Rescue Remedy (Have you ever tried this? I first got it in London, but I haven’t seen it in the U.S. as much) conducted a 500-person stress survey that found that—

• 80% of men and 79% of women surveyed felt that stress play a significant role in their life. These effects include change in mood, sleep patterns, relationships and how they work.

• 52% of women and 38% of men have tried relaxation methods to decrease stress levels. These methods include yoga, meditation, relaxation-cd's and over-the counter options.

This topic of stress was interesting because yesterday I found myself really freaking out about something. Oh boy, I was totally working myself up into a full-blown meltdown, and when I called my support groups (aka- D, my mom, and my sister) for advice, they all said the same thing, “Why don’t you go work out?”

Hmm…what were they implying?!? However, I am very lucky to work in a building with a gym right downstairs, so I took their advice and went to a workout class. And, you guessed it, I felt SO much better afterwards…panic over and all was right with the world!! The experience got me thinking about the best ways to manage stress since there really seems to be no way to avoid it. I think for me, workouts and bubble baths are key. What are your stress strategies?

P.S. I also was looking around my bathroom and noticed something interesting about the products I often use. Notice a pattern??

2 comments:

Randall @ Happy For This Moment said...

Haha - that's funny about all your anti-stress products. Deep breaths help me!

Solar Powered said...

salt water: sweat, tears, or ocean. My stress relievers for sure. Isn't that a great feeling to finish a workout and feel "normal" again?